[Edgar]
Paul J. Achtemeier has a very thorough discussion on 1 Pet. 3:19 in his commentary on Peter's First Epistle that you can find in the Hermeneia series. He carefully reviews the explanations that have been posited vis-a'-vis 1 Pet. 3:19 and he then writes: "There is a clear Jewish tradition, however, in which the angelic beings of Gen. 6:1-6, whose disobedience caused the flood, were subsequently imprisoned" (Achtemeier 256). He adds: "That it is this tradition which underlies the reference to 'spirits' in our verse seems therefore likely to be the case" (256).
So while Achtemeier is not really dogmatic about the identity of the spirits in 1 Pet. 3:19--he does suggest that the view which I have advanced is probably the least problematic approach.
[Harry]
My questions to you would be, what is the point of introducing angels at 3:19, and what was Jesus accomplishing by going to a special group of angels already in prison?
[Edgar]
According to the discourse structure or context of 1 Pet. 3:19, there are a number of good reasons why Peter introduced the wicked spirits or angels in his discussion. Keep in mind that Peter is trying to show his brothers and sisters why they should suffer for the sake of righteousness (1 Pet. 3:16,17). In 3:18, he employs the example of Christ as a (the) model for all Christian believers. Since Christ suffered and subsequently died for our sins, though he was and is righteous, and since his ignominious and painful death opened the way for humans to approach God with a clean conscience, since he was also put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit and in this state (as the NWT says) he went and assured the angels of their doom--we too should suffer as Christ did and desist from sins, while asking God for a good conscience by being baptized in water through the resurrection of Christ from the dead (1 Pet. 3:18-4:1, 2). So the example of the fallen angels helps us to see the consequences of apostatizing from God. The mention of these rebellious spirits also impresses on us the fact that the waters of baptism (the antitype of the flood) can either serve as a salvific step to those who avail themselves of this godly provision. But baptism will not profit those who refuse to be immersed through the resurrection of Christ. Achtemeier thus suggests that Peter employs the story about the angels so that "Christians can face their future with confidence, despite whatever suffering that future may portend, because Christ has triumphed over the most powerful forces of the universe. The salvation Christ promises is therefore sure, and confidence in that Lord can sustain Christians until the final judgment, whose coming is sure and whose advent will rescue Christians from their tormented lives" (Achtemeier 246).
[Edgar continued]
As I will show later, KHRUSSW does not always refer to proclaiming the Gospel.
[Harry]
I said that it does so when Jesus is used with it, that is when he is the
one doing it in the NT. I did not say that it always referred to
proclaiming the Gospel.
[Edgar]
In your message dated 00-11-26 17:15:20 EST, you wrote: "i think of Jesus' preaching as positive because the Greek word kerussw, when used with Jesus in the NT, always has a positive connotation of a preaching of the Gospel."
But please notice that Jesus himself evidently used the word KHRUGMA to describe the message that Jonah preached to the men of Nineveh (Matt. 12:41; Lk. 11:32). The LXX also has KHRUSSW at Jonah 1:2 in delineating Jonah's message of doom. Achtemeier concludes that KHRUSSW "does not automatically mean that the content of the proclamation is forgiveness or salvation" (262).
Another work states: "In 1 Peter 3:19 there is no reference to evangelizing, but to the act of Christ, after his resurrection, in proclaiming His victory to fallen spirits"(Zodhiates, Complete Word Study: NT, page 928).
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
A Discussion on 1 Peter 3:19
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4 comments:
If 1Peter3:19 is to be properly understood as speaking of Jesus' preaching to the spirits of the dead.Why does he confine this preaching to those who were disobedient to the preaching of Noah?Why no word to those who died before or since the time of Noah?Why no word of encouragement for the faithful dead?
In going through some of my old mail, I just noticed this comment on my blog post. But the best explanation (it seems) is that Christ preached to the demonic spirits (wicked angels) and not to "the spirits of the dead." That is a point made by Achtemeier among others.
The apostle encourages the faithful to remain steadfast in their faith amid persecution. If questioned about their faith, they must always be ready to confess it. This confession should be done with humility and reverence toward worldly authorities, which means with respect. The most important thing is to maintain a good conscience, that is, to live a life of grace, as their pious lives will most effectively refute the accusations of the pagans. To strengthen them in the sufferings of persecution, he points to Christ, who was put to death in the flesh for our sins, though His spirit was alive even during His suffering because He enjoyed the beatific vision of God through His personal unity with the divine nature. At the moment of His death, His most holy soul descended to the souls in prison, that is, to the limbo of the fathers, where were also the souls of those who had not heeded Noah's call to repentance while the ark was being built but turned to God in the imminent danger of destruction. To all these, He proclaimed the redemption, which was accomplished by His death. Those who were saved in the ark prefigure those who are saved through baptism.
After the death of His body, Jesus' glorified soul descended to the underworld, not only to the holy patriarchs but also to those unbelievers who, at the time when the ark was being built, did not believe in God's warnings but found salvation in faith and repentance when judgment came upon them. Christ proclaimed to these pious patriarchs and to those who had once been unbelievers but later repented that He had completed the work of redemption and opened heaven. Before Christ's death, all departed souls, both good and evil, went to the underworld. However, it was divided in such a way (cf. Luke 16:26) that the pious were in a place where they awaited the Redeemer, while the wicked were cast into a place of eternal torment. The latter is properly called hell, while the former is the limbo of the fathers, which also existed in the underworld but was at the same time a forecourt and purgatory for heaven.
In the Apostles' Creed, when it is said, "He descended into hell," this does not refer to the proper hell, the place of punishment for the damned, but rather to the underworld, into which Christ descended insofar as He appeared in one part of it, the limbo of the fathers. Saint Peter refers to the limbo of the fathers as a prison because the souls were held there until Christ’s coming. This is why, in another place (cf. Acts 2:24), the chains of hell are mentioned.
Some have interpreted "unbelievers" to mean those who died in unbelief and wickedness, to whom Christ proclaimed repentance to convert them, or at least some of them. Others argue that these were irredeemably condemned souls whose damnation Christ confirmed. The latter view is unlikely because confirming damnation is not preaching, let alone the Gospel (good news), as Christ’s teaching is called in 1 Peter 4:6. The first view is also unacceptable because, for those who die in unbelief and thus outside God’s grace, there is no longer salvation (cf. Ecclesiastes 11:3). However, the holy fathers and earlier Catholic interpreters, rightly understanding the text and comparing it with Scripture’s teachings, found a suitable explanation. On the one hand, the text speaks only of unbelievers who were unbelievers at the time when the ark was being built, and on the other hand, it does not exclude the possibility that these unbelievers repented before their death. On the other hand, Scripture clearly teaches that those who die in unbelief can do nothing for their salvation. Therefore, these unbelievers must be understood as those who did not remain in unbelief and sin but, through repentance and contrition, saved not their physical lives but at least their spiritual lives.
Furthermore, the text states that Christ preached to those who were once disobedient, implying that He preached not only to these unbelievers but also to others, that is, to all the righteous and saints of old. For the term "also" cannot refer to people on earth, as the text speaks not of Christ teaching on earth but of His preaching in the Limbo of the Fathers. Peter does not explicitly name these pious individuals but mentions only the unbelievers can be explained by the fact that the opinion was widely held among the Jews of that time that those who perished in the Flood were utterly rejected by God and would not even appear at the final judgment. Peter could not better refute this baseless opinion than by citing examples of those unfortunate individuals to whom Christ proclaimed redemption. These examples align best with the overall context, which speaks of Christ suffering a violent death for the sins of others in the flesh but retaining spiritual life, just as those who died a violent death for their sins in the Flood were spiritually saved. Moreover, these examples serve as a model for patiently enduring the sufferings of this life, which Peter had urged earlier.
The assertion that the only "imprisoned spirits" referred to in Scripture are disobedient angels from Noah's time is inconsistent with a broader interpretation of biblical texts, as outlined in the study of 1 Peter 3:18-20. In 1 Peter 3:19-20, the "spirits in prison" are explicitly associated with the time of Noah and described as those who were disobedient "in the days of Noah." The focus is not on angels but on human souls who did not heed Noah's warnings while the ark was being prepared. This context aligns with human disobedience, not angelic rebellion.
The preaching referred to in 1 Peter is not a proclamation of judgment but of redemption. This aligns with the Gospel’s message, as Christ's mission was to bring salvation (Luke 4:18, 19). The idea that Christ descended to the underworld only to confirm judgment contradicts the broader salvific message of Scripture. Even if we consider that some souls from Noah's time perished physically in the flood, the possibility of their repentance before death is implied. This suggests that Christ’s proclamation could bring hope and fulfillment of redemption to those who turned to God in their final moments.
The term "prison" in 1 Peter 3:19 should not be conflated with the "pits of dense darkness" in 2 Peter 2:4 or the "abyss" in Revelation 20:1-3. These latter terms pertain to angelic beings and their confinement due to rebellion. The "prison" in 1 Peter refers to the intermediate state of the dead, specifically the limbo of the fathers (Limbus Patrum), where souls awaited Christ's redemptive act. The notion of "dense darkness" refers to separation from God’s presence, but in Noah's case, the emphasis is on the unique circumstances of his contemporaries who might have turned to God before their physical death.
Early Church Fathers (e.g., Irenaeus, Tertullian) and theological traditions affirm that Christ descended to the underworld to free the righteous and proclaim the completion of salvation to all who awaited Him, including those in the limbo of the fathers. This descent was not a declaration of doom but a pivotal moment of victory over sin and death (Ephesians 4:8-10).
The mention of Noah’s contemporaries serves a didactic purpose in Peter’s epistle: it draws a parallel between the flood and baptism (1 Peter 3:21). The waters of the flood symbolize judgment and cleansing, while baptism represents the believer's salvation and new life in Christ. This typology confirms the focus on human redemption rather than angelic judgment.
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